In a prominent position in the churchyard.

Monument

A rededicated memorial on September 23, 2023, now in its new location. The memorial is made of a cairn bearing a rectangular plaque commemorating and listing the crew of the aircraft. The text is written in English.

The crew included one American, F/Sgt Adam Mullen RCAF (R/154030), of Upper Darby. Pennsylvania.

On the night of 27th / 28th September 1943, the crew of this aircraft were undertaking a training exercise as part of their training at the 1667 Heavy Conversion Unit. The unit had just moved to Faldingworth airfield from Lindholme airfield some days earlier. The crew of this aircraft took off from Faldingworth at 20.10hrs to undertake what was known as a Bullseye training flight. This would involve the crew navigating a route to a British town or city and undertaking a simulated bombing run over a selected target, not only would it test the aircraft's crew but also military personnel on the ground would be given an opportunity to test their equipment in range setting and tracking the aircraft. Four hours into the flight the aircraft flew from the south and passed towards the western side of York and was flying in clouds, the weather conditions were found to have caused the eventual crash. At ground level, it was raining heavily but at between 4,000 and 10,000 feet in the air icing conditions would have affected the aircraft's flying and control surfaces. It was believed that because the aircraft had iced up the pilot had lost control and the aircraft then entered a steep and very fast dive from which the pilot was not able to recover the aircraft. At the very high speed attained in a fast dive the early Lancaster was known to suffer structural failure, it was thought in this case that the speed the aircraft reached caused the total break-up of the aircraft in the air. At around 00.08hrs various sections and parts of the aircraft crashed over a two-mile track in fields around Cock Hill area, between Moor Monkton and Marston Moor railway station, around the A59 road, with the loss of the whole crew. A detailed investigation followed to find the cause of the structural break-up of the aircraft and the Accident Investigation Branch compiled a full report on this incident (now located in the UK National Archives as AVIA5/22 : Report No.1670) concluding that there was little the inexperienced pilot could have done once control was lost in such weather and flying conditions.

The crew:

Pilot - Sgt Lawrence Richard William Turley RAFVR (1387018), aged 22, of East Finchley. Cremated East Finchley, London.

Flight Engineer - Sgt Martin Raymond Pearce RAFVR (1808544), aged 19, of Hampton, Middlesex. Buried Camberwell New Cemetery, London.

Navigator - Sgt Arthur Howell RAFVR (1395412), aged 20, of Paddock Wood. Buried Paddock Wood Old Churchyard, Brenchley, Kent.

Bomb Aimer - F/Sgt Adam William Joseph Mullen RCAF (R/154030), aged 28, of Upper Darby. Pennsylvania, USA. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire.

Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Roger Pickering Weston RAFVR (1131503), aged 22. Buried Sunderland (Ryhope Road) Cemetery, Durham.

Air Gunner - Sgt Douglas Roy Brown RCAF (R/194139), aged 21, of Plaster Rock, New Brunswick, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire.

Air Gunner - Sgt Reginald Eric Butler RAFVR (1388968), aged 20. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire.

Source of information and photos: www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk, www.iwm.org.uk

IN MEMORY

OF THE AIRMEN WHO LOST THEIR LIVES

ON THE 28th OF SEPTEMBER 1943 WHEN

THEIR LANCASTER BOMBER W 4904

FROM RAF LINDHOLME

CRASHED NEAR THIS VILLAGE